Ebnest fbedebick goodyear



E F/GOODYEAR.

WHEEL FOR VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED 0cT.11,1914

Patented Oct. 8,1918.

I Vehicles, of

ERNEST FREDERICK GOODYEAR, OF DUDLEY, ENGLAND.

WHEEL FOB VEHICLES.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. s, 1918.

Application filed October 17, 1914. Serial No. 867,141.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST Fnnonnrox GoonYnAR, a subject of the Kingdom of Great Britain, residing at Reliance Works, Dudley, in the county of \Vorcester, England, manufacturer, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in \Vheels for which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention compnises certain improvements in or relating to wheels, such as the 'road wheels of automobiles and the like, and more particularly to such of these wheels as are composedof steel or other suitable metal.

This invention is particularly applicable to the typeof wheel in which two sheaves or half members areused in building up the wheel, said sheaves or. half members being jointed at substantially the central plane ofthe wheel. In such an arrangement the two main sheaves each forming or relatin to one half of the wheel have in the finishe Wheel the semi-spoke formation, the semichannel formationwat the circumference, and a suitable formation at or near the center pressed or suitably incorporated, after which the sectors between the spokes are advantageously removed.

In such a wheel the standard or other section rim for carrying the tire may be assem-. bled in the form of a member which is separable from the two sheaves or halves of the wheel.

The present invention comprises a new construction of that part of the wheel associated with or involving the tire-carrying rim, also a new process of manufacture involved in arriving at such a construction.

By my present invention I am enabled to electrically weld the sheaves to the separable rim; my present invention, however, is not confined to the electric welding as other processes of welding may, if desired, be adopted.

According to the present invention theshea'ves are welded to the sheet metal which is to be subsequently formed into the tirecarrying rim before such tire-carrying rim has been finally shaped or formed, or before the edges of such tire-carrying rim have been curved or bent to their final shape onabling them to grip or embrace the beads of the tire. By connecting, according to the present invention, the metal of the sheaves to a ring or strip of metal, which latter afterward formed into the tire-carrying" rim, I am enabled to weld or equivalently connect the metal in the manufacture of the rlm part of the wheel in a much more satisfactory and convenient manner, and in the.

Fig. 2 illustrates a modification of the part shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 illustrates a further modification of the art shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 illustrates the rim finally produced after the welding operation has been carried Fig. 5 illustrates a further modification of the parts shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modification of the parts shown in Fig. 4..

In a convenient method of carrying out the present invention, as shown in Fig. 1, the two sheaves a, b of the wheel are assembled in .relation to a partly formed rim member 0 which is of shallow channel or' U formation, the sides (1 of the U being substantially parallel or diverging in a direction away from the center of the wheel, the extreme edges 6 of these sides being folded over through an angle of 180 degrees to cmbrace the edges of the sheaves a, b, which latter embrace the sides of the channel or U-shaped memberto be afterward formed into the tire-carrying rim.

The folding of the edges'e of the rim memher 0 over the edges ofthe sheaves a, b may be carried out in any suitable'or convenient manner, and after the partshave been coupled together by this folded connection the it isnecessary to employ water cooled rollers f,. g ombothsides ofnthe-partrunder the welding operationfthepositioning of the parts providessufiicient, space for a welding whcelf to enghge with the inner surface ofthe side wall of the cheni el member at a. point opposite to the point at which the outer welding wheehg; the periphery of tric welding can;thus be carried out, the" outer welding wheel g beingbrought upon the folded part of the channel member with sufiicient pressure to effectively 'weld the letter .and form a clean joint of particularly" high quality both in regard to strength and in regard to the capacity for excluding moisture, .end for providing a water-tight member.

p joint between the' fsheavcs and the channel correspondingwilh. its axis,.and the welding wheel fiyithin the channel may be rotated by v contact of the wheel. with such inner welding wheel 1, while .theouter welding wheel g channel ,(n-.U-sl 1aped member, as shown-in. F ig.'1, it ma be assembled insthe form of a' cylindrical ringly' as shown in Fig.3, 1n- '!\\'hieh rascuthecdges .of tl1e'-s 1iee\zes=a here. bent outwardly substantially at right angles 1 carried upon a lever may-be applied with suitablepressure-to the point at which the welding heat is applied.

Instead of. assembling the partly finished ti re-carrying rim in the formof a shallow to the plane 'ot the wheel, and u re afterward embraced by the folded edgesc of the 'cylin drical rim members W'elding can iii-"this arrangement be satisfactorily carriexijpnf with the rim member still [in the'eyl'iiidriciiP- :torm, after which the rimmemher together with theiedges of the sheaves 'niayflieh'eiit orworked to ,tlierdcsn-ed formation e finished tire-carrying rim.

raugeincnt shown in Fig. 3, instead of folding the edges of the cylindrical member 1' constituting the unfinished tire-carrying rim around the-edges of the sheaves the edges h of the sheaves may he Folded aroundthe rylindrieal member ronstil ting the unfinished ti re-carrying rim. in which arrangement the edges '5 of the latter are advantageously cranked or oil-set throughout the circumference, the degree of cranking or oll'-sctti.ng being advnnlageously equal lo the thickness of the metal of tho sheaves, so that after the metal'of the sheave has-born folded around the edge of the cylindrical member, the outer circumferential fare of the folded portion of the sheave is in peripheral ulinrmcntwith the outer cylindrical surface of the sheet nwtal ronstiluling the partly finished rim. 'l hc welding prorrss is adapted to-fill any the present invention.

over the edges of the sheaves before the In this welding operation the partly finished wheel may be rotated on a spindle" ehamrcl or U-member into the desired for- .In a mod'fieation of the last describe-d (tr-- theinternal surface of the tire-carrying portion of the wheel, and by this clean internal surface damage to the beads of the tire is rendered impossible.

In the two" arran ements last described the cylindrical mom r j may inan after process or processes be partlyformed into the tire-carryingrim by an operation or operations which enlarge the edges and bend them to form a shallow channolor-u member, as in the first described embodiment of Instead of folding the edges '0 of the rim welding; process as described with reference to Fig. l, thc'welding process may be carried on with the edges projecting atright angles as shown at Fig. 5, inwhicli case the sheave (Z is welded at its inner surface to the'U-sh'a-ped member, the edges being afterward folded so that in the final wheel it occupies the position shown in Fig. 4.

For the purpose of forming the shallow 96 mationof the finished tirewarrying rim reslstance members in may be inserted within the interior (ifthe channel member, such 're- ,sistance members being divided at points around the circumference to permit of as- 100 scmbhng, and hemg advanta eously in three portions, distributed across the width of the channel, the two side portions being of .form for configuration corresponding with the internal surfaee of the finished tire-carrying ll mfwli'l'l 'tliercntral portion is of wedge formation with its sides slightly converging town dlthe center of the wheel. After such i'eslstg inceniembers have been inscrtechwithin thefchanneh'the sides of the latter are oper- 'utedi open from one or both sides of the 1 wheel by press members which press or work the edge of the channel over into the hook. formation characteristic of a tire-carrying rim, whereby the latter is enabled to embrace and grip the beads of the tire.

Fig. 6 illustrates a modified means providing for the forming of the shallow channel or U-memb'er into the desired formation of the finished tire-carrying rim. Z is a composite ring of the shape shown and which is in three parts divided'nt intervals in the circumference", the palt's being hinged together so that they can close aronndtherim to occupy the position shhwri; in which position the rim rests upon tlhem. "In this position the wheelis plaecd'ln relation to a centralizing member'fiz and isretnined by upper and lower sctting 'mcni ers n'which securely hold in posltlon the wheel during the. application cular.

of a descending press'member adapted to bend the'edge of the rim around the ring 1 into the form shown. In this operation the descending press member has also the effect of contracting the composite ring Z by which operation the rim is rendered precisely cir- The same operation is repeated in connection with the other side of the wheel.

In an alternative method of manufacture,

the members is may be dispensed with, and

after the welding process the edges of the tirecarrying rim may be formed to the desired shape by a spinning process.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The process of manufacturing sheet metal wheels composed of or involving two sheaves or disk members, and a rim or circumferential member for carrying a-tire which-includes folding the edge of one of said members over the cooperating edge of the other along each side of the rim prior to the forming of the tire carrying portion of the 'wheel to its final shape.

2. The process of manufacturing sheet metal wheels composed of or involving twosheaves or disk members, and a rim or circumfereiitialmember for carrying a tire WlllCl1 includes folding the edge of one of 'said members over the cooperating edge of the othcr'along each side of the rim prior to the forming of the tire carrying portion of the wheel to its final shape, and'electrically welding the rim to the sheaves also before forming the tire carrying portion of the wheel to its final shape.

4. The manufacture of awheel comprised of twosheaves or disk members, and a rim or circumferential member, in which the outer portion of.the wheel is formed to engage a tire, which includes welding the rim to the sheaves along the edges of the rim and sheaves prior to the forming of the tire carrying portion of the wheel to its final shape.

' The process of manufacturing sheet metal wheels comprising two sheaves or disk members, and a rim or circumferential member in which the outer portion of the wheel is formed to accommodate a tire, consisting in folding one edge of one of said members over the cooperating edge of another along one side of the rim prior to the forming of the tire carrying ortion of the wheel to its final shape; and e ectrically welding the rim to the sheaves also before forming the tire carrying portion of the wheel to its final shape. 1

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ERNEST FREDERICK GOUDYELR.

Witnesses Arman: H. BROWN, -.Hoeus F. Blown. 

